How to have a successful coupon swap

Crystal West, of Hampton, is working on a small stockpile for her daughter, who is a senior at Phoebus High School. She will head off to college next year, and West wants to send her with all of the snacks and toiletries she can store.

To help ease the cost, West recently attended a coupon swap in Yorktown hosted by the frugal bloggers at afrugalchick.com, momondealz.com and thecouponchallenge.com.

"I think she's going to be good to go on deodorant and toothpaste," West laughed. "I am looking forward to picking their (the bloggers) brains, too."

The coupon swap was one of the first on the Peninsula for the bloggers, Laura Oliver, Dana Zeliff and Sharon Wood, who all live in Virginia Beach. Held in the First Advantage Federal Credit Union building off of Victory Boulevard, the ladies settled around long tables, scissors and coupon inserts in hand, busy clipping and chatting.

Baskets labeled with common coupon categories, such as personal care and pet, were scattered around the room. As the swappers clipped unwanted coupons, they filled the baskets and chose other coupons of interest.

"You don't really need us to do this," Oliver said as the ladies shared with one another. "All you need is a couple of baskets and a pair of scissors."

Hosting a successful coupon swap can be as simple as setting out a basket in your office to share your unwanted coupons. Oliver gives these other tips for hosting a swap.

• Save coupons that may not seem useful. "Some coupons may seem sort of ridiculous to you," Oliver says. "Some that come in the mail may not be useful for you, but others may need them."

• Keep your store coupons separate. Stores like Target and Rite Aid have their own coupons that cannot be used everywhere.

• Keep your coupons updated. You can set up a separate bin for expired coupons, which can be mailed to military bases overseas. Generally commissaries overseas accept expired manufacturers coupons.

During the coupon swap, the ladies shared some savings insight. These were some of their best tips.

• Do what works for you. "I think a lot of people feel inadequate when they go to the store with their little accordion folder and a big binder walks by," Oliver says. "But you have to do what works for you."

• If you have a binder, make sure it zips. "Otherwise, you will definitely have coupons falling out everywhere at some point," Zeliff warns.

• Check the beer case for hang tag coupons. Often alcoholic beverage companies will sponsor a rebate program, such as $15 off a $100 grocery purchase. If you don't see any of those rebates on the shelves, stop by the grocery store customer service desk to ask if they have any available.

• Don't give Walgreens store coupons to the cashier. The drug store offers coupon booklets at the front of its stores, and you do not have to cut them out and hand them to the cashiers. Those coupons can be used multiple times.